


The Fury of Winter

by Fangirl_4Life



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Animal Shifters, Alternate Universe - Family Changes, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-07-16 09:05:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 17,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7261555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirl_4Life/pseuds/Fangirl_4Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shireen Baratheon knew her siblings and herself were rare creatures, stag shifters were almost as rare as dragon shifters, and therefore were valuable in the upcoming war. Running from lion shifters is easier said than done and can you really trust a pack of wolves more than a pride of lions?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Seperated in the Westerlands

Shireen nervously played with her dagger as her sister neared the open mouth of the cave they'd been hiding in. The pair knew it dangerous, staying in the Westerlands when the pride was so close to finding them, but when you are running for days on end and need rest you stop being picky about particulars.

"How far away are they?" Shireen asked, hand lightly running over her scarred cheek.

"Too close for a sprint." Myrcella sighed, sitting on the floor of the cave. "One of us could shift and cause a diversion, but there's a slim change wed meet up afterwards and I'm not risking getting separated."

Shireen nodded and sat beside the golden haired shifter. "We can both shift and run in separate directions to try and escape. We have a better chance at meeting once more if we run at the same time."

"Where would we both go?" Myrcella asked, green eyes meeting Shireen's blue. "Where would we both be safe?"

Shireen sighed and stared at her dirty clothes. They'd been running for near two years now. Their brother Tommen had been sold out by a lion shifter and was in the custody of non-shifters in the Reach. Herself and Myrcella had been in Dorne at the time and realized they could trust a nest of snakes as much as a pride of lions at the moment. They had run one day, Myrcella with her bow and arrows and Shireen her dagger, and hadn't stopped running.

It had been so tempting to stop in the Reach and find Tommen, but there was no chance of the three of them surviving had they decided to find their brother. Shireen comforted Myrcella on the nights when she missed Tommen too much.

"What about the Vale?" Shireen said. "They've always been neutral in wars and gods know we'd be safe there."

Myrcella kept her face as neutral as possible as she thought over the options. It was risky, but there was a chance they'd make it to safety and - if the gods were good - hopefully they'd survive until the war ended and then find Tommen.

"I'll head south east to the Stormlands." Myrcella sighed. "If I go there and you go to the Riverlands then we could both find safe passage to the Vale and with luck we'll find each other."

"There's a lot of hypothetical in this plan." Shireen admitted.

"I know." Myrcella gave her a sad smile. "But it's our best shot."

"When we both make it to the Vale we'll need a place to meet." Shireen said.

"The Bloody Gate." Myrcella said. "When we make it to the Vale we'll meet at the Bloody Gate."

Shireen hugged her sister tightly, dreading the moment she'd have to let go and the moment they'd shift and seperate for the first time since they lost Tommen. She memorized the smell of Myrcella's hair, lavender, and reluctantly let go.

"I'll see you soon." Myrcella said, shifting easily into her doe form.

Shireen concentrated on shifting as well, she never truly focused on the difference between her shifted form and her siblings, and the two nodded before running from the cave in two separate directions.

Shireen focused on the Riverlands, running as fast as her legs could carry her, desperate to see a land not teeming with lion shifters and their supporters. She ran and ran, only stopping to graze for a brief moment before she caught sight of a hound that spent too much time watching her.

It didn't take too long to reach the Riverlands, their cave had been near the Stony Sept, but she knew that if that hound - she was certain it was another shifter, no hound would stare so long at a seemingly unaware doe - had been working for the lion shifters there was no good chance that she was free.

Caves weren't in as abundance in the Riverlands as they were in the Westerlands it seemed, but Shireen noticed a thick patch of brush near the rivers edge where she could lay before shifting back to human.

Moving carefully she quietly layed down and waited as she shifted back to human. Her brown hair blew in the gentle breeze, a sign that her shift had ended and she was safe to stand.

* * *

Shireen kept a low profile in the Riverlands, keeping to herself and one hand on her dagger while she spoke and bartered for food and drink. News of the war flowed through easily and Shireen was eager to hear of it.

"If the North would only send the damn girl back down." One man said one day. "The Lannisters won't stop until they're certain that boy prince has his bride."

"But the Lannisters were expecting a wolf shifter." Another man said. "Girl took after her mother too much and can only shift to trout. Boy had good reason for beating her."

"Those damn cousins of hers are to blame." The first man spat. "Stealing her away in the middle of the night like the savages they are."

Shireen took a deep breath and walked away, blue eyes looking over everything and watching everyone, eventually stopping at a boy with wild brown curls and gray eyes who was staring at her as though he knew her.

She shifted her gaze to the ground and began to hurry through the street. If she made it to that brush near the river she could shift and begin her journey to the Vale. She'd only stayed in the same place for rest, unable to shift as easily as her siblings and needing rest between shifts.

At the rivers edge the hound from earlier, it  _had_ to be the same that saw her grazing earlier in the week, paced in front of the brush patch. She silently cursed and gasped when the hound looked her in the eyes, snarling as he approached.

She didn't have many options. In her human form she was a slow runner, and humans very rarely could outrun hounds in the first place. In her doe form she could run fast, but that was dangerous, she hadn't had nearly enough rest to shift and take off at full speed. Screaming would do her no good, the hound would pounce on her and she'd be a goner. Besides Myrcella could well be on her way to the Vale from the Stormlands and she  _had_ to find her sister.

Shifting was her only choice.

She began to focus and felt the shift beginning to happen. Then the fatigue truly set in and she felt herself sway on the spot. She could hear growling as she fell to the ground and the black took over her vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baratheon siblings  
> Myrcella (17, Stag shifter)  
> Shireen (15, Stag shifter)  
> Tommen (10, Stag shifter)  
> \----  
> Stark siblings pt. 1 (Lyanna's children)  
> Jon (20, Wolf shifter)  
> Arya (16, Wolf shifter)  
> Rickon (14, Wolf shifter)  
> \----  
> Stark siblings pt. 2 (Ned and Catelyn's children)  
> Robb (20, Wolf shifter)  
> Sansa (18, Trout shifter)  
> Bran (15, Non-shifter)  
> \----  
> Reed siblings  
> Meera (15, Aligator shifter)  
> Jojen (15, Non-shifter)  
> \----  
> Non related characters  
> Theon Greyjoy (21, Kracken shifter)  
> Daenerys Targaryen (19, Dragon shifter)  
> Rhaego Targaryen (6, Dragon shifter)  
> Joffrey Lannister (20, Lion shifter)  
> Gendry Waters (19, Stag shifter)


	2. Journey North

Rickon hadn't felt good about staying behind in the Riverlands. Their uncle Ned would be furious if he learned about his youngest nephew being on his own in a strange land, but it was necessary. Rickon was the fastest runner in his wolf form and Jon was the only one who could carry Sansa in both forms.

So Rickon stayed behind to make sure no Lannister men, lion shifters or non-shifters, followed them. He was certain that they hadn't been tracked when he noticed the girl, brown curls and blue eyes with scars on her left cheek. Something about her drew him towards her, especially when she ran towards the river.

Rickon had shifted easily in an empty Sept before he followed her scent to the river where he saw a hound snarling at her. That's when he saw her focus and begin to shift.

She was halfway to shifting fully, Rickon tried not to stare when he realized her shifted form was a doe, when she went back to human and collapsed to the ground.

The hound moved towards the girl and Rickon rushed forward, attacking and pushing the hound closer to the river bank.

Arya had always complained that he fought dirty, but it was his way of defense. The hound wasn't much bigger than his shifted form, Rickon still lamented that he wasn't as large a wolf as Jon or Robb, but Rickon was fast and had a good grip when he bit down.

His years of fighting normal wolves and even stray hounds up North gave him a slight edge in this fight. He'd managed to get in some good bites on the hounds neck and front leg before he'd managed to push him in the river.

Rickon had shifted back to human shortly after he saw the hound travel further down the river. He lay in the grass and watched as the girl stayed still. He was aware that not every shifter was strong enough to shift under stress and that shifting back to back didn't always end well for them. Maybe that was why he shifted back to wolf, draped her over his back, and began following his siblings and cousins scent.

* * *

"You did  _what_?" Sansa glared at him as the girl rested in the corner of the cave they were in.

"I had to." Rickon said. "I couldn't just leave her there where gods know what would happen. Besides that hound had to have been a shifter and he'd keep coming back for her."

"Rickon." Jon sighed, calmer than both girls they were traveling with. "This journey is hard enough, trying to get North without Lannister men following us, but she's going to slow us down."

"Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have done the same?" Rickon asked, hiding a smirk as his brother sighed in resignation.

"Why should we care?" Arya said. "I mean sure she can shift, but what good is another shifter of she's a weak one."

"I saw her form before she collapsed and changed back." Rickon said. "She's a stag shifter."

"Joffrey told me the only ones left were in Lannister control." Sansa said.

"Can we really trust anything  _Joffrey_ says?" Arya snorted. "Tywin and Cersei likely told him that to keep him from going out and slaughtering every stag shifter he saw."

"We can ask her once she wakes." Jon said. "Until then Rickon and I will keep watch. If she wakes up I'm trusting Sansa to help her adjust. I love you Arya, but you're likely not what she needs."

"You'll find no arguments from me." Arya smirked.

Rickon laughed and sat by the entrance of the cave, watching as Jon sharpened his sword.

"Are you mad at me for bringing her?"

"No." Jon said. "I'm worried for her. If she is a stag shifter then the Lannisters will be the ones who sent that hound after her. But we have to be careful. She may not be the only one out there and if she's anything like us, she'll want to be with her family."

Rickon nodded. Their mother had practically made them memorize their aunt Catelyn's house words along with their own. He, Jon, and Arya were Starks, but they followed the Tully words just as easily as Robb, Sansa, and Bran did. Family, duty, honor.

If this girl was like them, she'd want to be with her family and protect them. That was if her family was still alive.


	3. Amidst the Pack

Shireen woke with a start, eyes flying open and taking ragged gasps as she took in her surroundings. She was in a cave, different from the one she and Myrcella had been hiding in, with a pretty redhead sitting just to her left.

"Calm down, we're not going to hurt you." The girl said, placing a comforting hand on Shireen's shoulder. "You're safe with us."

"Where am I?" Shireen asked, carefully sitting up.

"A cave near the Neck." The girl said. "We got here only a few hours ago. It wasn't safe in the Riverlands with Lannister men following us."

"Following you?" Shireen asked. She looked the girl up and down and tried to piece together why the Lannisters would send men after her and whomever she was traveling with.

"I'm Sansa Stark." The girl said. "My cousins helped me escape from Joffrey and we've been rushing to get back North for days now."

"It's the only place you'll be safe from Joffrey." Shireen said. "How did I get here, though? Why?"

"My cousin Rickon saw you try to shift and then collapse. He also managed to see your shifted form before you collapsed." Sansa said.

"So he brought me here because I'm a stag shifter." Shireen sighed.

"Not necessarily." Sansa said. "He likely brought you here because you were vulnerable in an unsafe area during wartime. I think he brought you along to keep you safe. The fact that you're a stag shifter only makes you a bigger target for everyone else."

Shireen nodded. "Myrcella said the same thing."

"Who's Myrcella?"

"My sister." Shireen said, turning to see three people enter the cave.

The only girl among them had long brown hair that was held back in a long braid, gray eyes watching her with wary curiosity. She had thin sword strapped to the belt on her trousers, left hand resting on it as if ready to use at a moments notice.

The taller man behind her had black curls and gray eyes. He avoided looking at her, eyes on Sansa with a question in his eyes. He too had a sword strapped to his belt and while his hand rested on it, it was more of a way of properly making certain it was still there.

The boy beside them was the boy from the Riverlands. Brown curls wild as ever and those eyes that seemed to know her. Unlike his siblings, he carried no sword but there was a nervous energy about him that made Shireen cautious of him.

"Is your sister a shifter as well?" Sansa asked.

Shireen turned back to Sansa and nodded. "So is our brother, but...he's been captured and there's little chance of finding him again."

"Where is he?"

Shireen looked at the younger boy who asked the question. "The Reach. He was taken by non-shifters when Myrcella and I were in Dorne. We've been on the run ever since."

"Are all three of you stag shifters?" The older man asked.

Shireen nodded.

"Then Joffrey wasn't completely lying." Sansa sighed. "Jon, if the Lannisters get ahold of her sister-"

"I know." The older man, Jon, said. "But we can't just detour back down to the Riverlands to get her."

"Myrcella's not in the Riverlands." Shireen said.

"Then where is she?" The girls voice came out harsh and cold.

"Arya." Sansa and the younger boy chastised her.

"What?" Arya said. "If she and her sister have been on the run since their brother got taken, I'd like to know where the hell this girl is."

"You'll have to excuse our sister." Jon said, rolling his eyes. "Unfortunately she and Rickon didn't get proper manners growing up."

"Given what I do for a living, they're not that important." Arya snapped.

"Is now really the time to start this?" Rickon asked. "She just woke up and-"

"Quiet!" Sansa snapped.

Arya and Rickon loomed at their feet like children that had been scolded. Jon just crossed his arms and laughed.

"Do you know where your sister is?" Jon asked, more gentle than Arya.

"We made a plan." Shireen nodded. "I'd shift and run to the Riverlands and she would shift and run to the Stormlands. From there wed try to meet each other at the Bloody Gate in the Vale."

"It's too far for us to turn back." Jon sighed. "Well take you to Winterfell, you'll be safe there and we can make certain your shifting ability is as string as possible. I'll talk to Robb and see if we can go back down to get your sister."

"Thank you." Shireen said.

She wanted to go after Myrcella on her own and tell her about Winterfell and the North, but she knew better than to push her luck. Besides training and becoming a stringer shifter would certainly help her later in life.


	4. Winterfell At Last

Rickon hadn't had much success talking with the girl, Shireen he'd learned her name was, as their journey North continued. She spent most of her time talking to Sansa and comparing what they knew of the Lannister pride. Even when they weren't doing that, they spoke of Winterfell and the North and how different it was from the South.

Finally, after weeks on the road, Winterfell was in Rickon's sight. He shifted into his wolf form and took off sprinting, Arya beside him.

"Open the gates!"

Rickon took in the sights of his home, glad nothing had changed, and shifted back into human form as his mother came running towards him. He hugged her and breathed in her scent; cinnamon and firewood.

"How was the South?" Lyanna asked, smiling at her youngest as she let go.

"Hot." Rickon said. "And here?"

"Cold."

"When isn't it?" Arya laughed, joining them as Sansa ran to hug her father and Jon approached them with Shireen.

"Who might this be?" Lyanna asked, gray eyes taking Shireen in.

"Shireen Baratheon." She said, playing nervously with her hands.

"Baratheon?" Lyanna raised an eyebrow. "Surely not one of Robert's?"

"I can't remember my father." Shireen admitted. "I was only five when he died. My memories are incredibly vague."

"Let's get you a more comfortable dress." Lyanna said.

Rickon watched as Lyanna briefly stopped to tell Ned about Shireen, their gray eyes locking on him long enough for Rickon to know that he was the one who brought her, before taking her into the castle to change clothes.

"I'll go talk to Uncle Ned." Jon sighed. "Explain what happened."

Rickon watched as Jon walked away receiving large hugs from Ned and Catelyn for saving their daughter.

"Jealous?" Arya teased.

"Why would I be jealous?" Rickon asked. "You know me, I'd rather get credit for fights than for diplomacy."

"But you were the one who found the secret passageway into the castle and Sansa's room." Arya said.

"Remember what mom says; whoever stirs the pot should lick the spoon." Rickon smirked, walking into the castle.

* * *

"So this is where you grew up."

Rickon turned to see Shireen beside him. She hadn't snuck up on him, he'd been able to smell her as she approached. It was a good thing his sense of smell was so good, if it wasn't she certainly would have surprised him with how quiet she could be.

"Yes." Rickon gave a crooked smile. "Different from where you grew up I'm sure."

"I've never seen this much snow in my life." Shireen smiled, blue eyes wide as she watched the white flakes fall.

"You'll get used to the novelty soon enough." Rickon laughed.

"Arya said something about the scent of family members not changing." Shireen said after a moment of silence. "What did she mean?"

Rickon smiled and shook his head. "Not a lot of shifters are gifted with a wolves sense of smell. Hounds come close, but nothing beats a wolf. Every family has a certain smell, for Starks it's firewood, and each member has their own unique scent."

"So Jon smells like?" Shireen prompted, curiosity in her eyes.

"The hot springs." Rickon said.

"And Arya?"

"Freshly forged steel."

"Sansa?"

"The ocean."

"Your mother?"

"Cinnamon."

"What about your Uncle Ned?"

"Bricks."

"And your Aunt Catelyn?"

"The forest."

"Robb?"

"Oranges."

"And Bran?"

"Peppermint."

Shireen laughed. "What about me?"

Rickon took a deep breath and focused on her scent. "Pine needles and lemon. But I can't tell which is your own and which is family. My nose isn't that good."

Shireen nodded, staring out the window. "Myrcella always smelled of lavender and Tommen smelled like honey."

"You miss them."

"When can we get Myrcella?" Shireen asked, blue eyes holding fear. "It's been so long and I can only imagine she's gone mad with worry."

"Robb, Jon, and my uncle will finish that discussion by the end of the night." Rickon assured her. "I'm certain we'll know by morning."


	5. Myrcella

Shireen had never been in awe of someone, yet that was how she felt around all the Starks. Eddard, Ned as his sister called him, and Catelyn were kind but firm. Lyanna was fun and kind. Robb was warm and open. Bran had a quiet wisdom about him. She'd spent so much time with Jon and Sansa and Arya and Rickon that it wasn't much of a shock to see what they were like. But with all of them she was left with a sense of awe and wonder...and a bit of longing for her own family. Maybe that was why she was so nervous when Eddard and Robb told her how the process would go.

"I'll travel down with Jon." Robb said. "From what Jon said, you told them that your sister was very protective of you."

"Incredibly." Shireen nodded, thinking of Myrcella glaring as two strange men approached claiming to know where she was. "She'll need something from me as a sign that I willing followed you to Winterfell."

"Is there a letter you could write or perhaps something to give her?" Eddard asked, face softening as he asked her calmly.

"No." Shireen shook her head. She knew her letters, but she hadn't held a quill in gods know how long. She could give them her dagger, but Myrcella would take that as a threat and she'd shoot an arrow in them faster than they could shift. "But...there is a phrase we grew up with. If you told her I said it she'd trust you enough to follow to Winterfell."

"And that would be?" Robb asked calmly.

"The castle can be rebuilt, in time. It's not the walls that make a lord, it's the man." Shireen said. "She'll understand."

* * *

She waited almost two months in Winterfell, Lyanna helping her learn to control her shifting.

"When you've shifted have you ever gone to get a drink of water from a pond or river and seen your reflection?" Lyanna asked one day.

"More often than not." Shireen gave a shy smile.

"That's good." Lyanna smiled back. "Tell me what your shifted form looks like."

"I have a dark brown coat and a scar below my left eye." Shireen said. "My eyes change to brown though."

"Anything else you can recall?" Lyanna asked. "How large you are? How fast you can run? If you're strong or not. Anything?"

"I can run very fast, but I'm not very large. Almost as though I'm transitioning between a fawn and doe."

"How about how you feel once you've shifted?" Lyanna asked.

Shireen thought on it. When was the last time she'd shifted without someone on her tail and rushing to take her to the Lannister pride? When was the last time she could shift and run freely? Then it hit her. Free. She felt a surge of freedom when she was in her stag form, no longer held back by her own limitations and able to move just as fast and smoothly as her siblings.

"I feel free." Shireen said, a genuine smile on her face. "I feel happy."

"Then focus on that feeling." Lyanna said. "Focus on that freedom and that happiness as you shift. Try it."

Shireen nodded and closed her eyes as she focused. Her shift was typically slow, the main reason Myrcella and Tommen would wait until she had finished to shift into their own forms, but as she focused on that feeling of freedom as she ran through fields and over hills it passed by quickly.

"Well done Shireen." Lyanna laughed as her shift ended.

Shireen shifted back easily. It was always faster for her to shift back to human than her siblings, why she would do so and be on guard as they shifted back, and this time she felt no exhaustion rush over her as she stood up once more.

"Wolves approaching!" A man cried from the battlements.

"Jon." Lyanna smiled fondly. "Ready to see your sister?"

Shireen nodded and practically raced Lyanna out of the godswood to the courtyard of Winterfell. Her smile only grew when she saw Myrcella's familiar shifted form.

Her sister shifted and green eyes met blue half a moment before they rushed to hug one another.

"You're safe." Myrcella said, smiling into her sister's loose curls. "I can't believe you're actually safe."

"Neither can I." Shireen laughed as they let go. That's when Shireen saw a second stag, fur too dark to be Tommen. "Who is that?"

Myrcella looked behind as the stag shifted back to human, black hair and blue eyes taking in Winterfell.

"His name is Gendry." Myrcella said, eyes filled with a childlike wonder Shiree. Hadn't seen since they were young. "He's a stag shifter like us. He helped me through the Stormlands and into the Vale."

Shireen nodded and turned back to her sister. "We'll be safe here. And once this stupid war is over we can find Tommen."

Myrcella's smile turned sad as she played with Shireen's curls. "I fear that day will be far away."


	6. Stags and Wolves

Rickon and Arya couldn't hold in their laughter as Robb and Jon recounted their first impression of Myrcella. Rickon hadn't thought much of her when he first saw her; golden blonde curls that fell to her waist with sparkling emerald eyes and the scent of lavender and lemons surrounding her. Evidently her unassuming looks hid a fire that raged within.

"So she was camped just a few feet away from the Bloody Gate?" Arya asked.

"Couldn't have been too far away." Jon said, smiling as Robb checked the stitches in his right shoulder. "Before we even had the chance to say a thing she had her arrow nocked and pointed at us."

"Hardly had the time to explain that we knew her sister before she shot me in the shoulder." Robb grimaced as Sansa dabbed the wound with a cold towel.

"Oh, I like her already." Arya smirked.

"Luckily I was able to say Shireen's phrase before she nocked another arrow." Jon said. "She seemed shaken when I said it."

"What  _was_ the phrase?" Sansa asked. "All I know is it wasn't their house words."

"House Baratheon died when Robert, Stannis, and Renly did." Robb said, putting his tunic back on. "All three men killed on Lannister orders."

"Why though?" Rickon asked. That had been back when he was too young to properly understand politics. He wasn't too well versed in them as Robb, Jon, Sansa, and Bran were. "Why kill stag shifters only to try and capture more of them?"

"Baratheon's are just as stubborn as we Starks are." Robb said. "Unfortunately for them that's why the Lannister's had them killed. Tywin and Cersei knew that they'd never get Robert or Stannis or Renly to follow them. Any Baratheon children could be fair game to convince."

"Joffrey often bragged about it." Sansa's face lost color as she spoke of her time in Casterly Rock. "Said that House Baratheon fell so they could make more room for House Lannister. Tyrion controls Storm's End."

"A miracle Myrcella survived." Bran said, looking up from a book.

"She said Gendry helped her through the Stormlands." Jon said. "Made it very clear that she trusted him more than us."

Rickon looked out the window to see Myrcella instructing Shireen on shooting arrows. Myrcella's golden curls were kept free from a braid and though he couldn't see them from such a distance, Rickon knew her green eyes were watching every movement of the yard with a sharp intensity of someone who trusted few people.

"What was the phrase?" Bran asked, repeating his sisters earlier question.

"The castle can be rebuilt, in time. It's not the walls that make a lord, it's the man."

* * *

"You're Rickon."

Rickon turned to see Myrcella, again thankful for his strong sense of smell for she was even quieter than her sister.

"And you're Myrcella." He watched as she gave a look around Winterfell.

"Shireen told me how you met." Rickon was careful as she stepped close with something he wasn't sure of in her eyes. "You saved her from a shifting hound. I owe you my thanks for keeping my sister safe. You didn't have to bring her here, yet you did. Why?"

Rickon sighed and took a look around Winterfell; Sansa laughing as she braided Shireen's hair and Bran read from a book, Arya and Gendry arguing over swords, Jon and Robb and Theon sparring. The noise and scent of family thick in the air. The warmth of the castle and hot springs.

"It's the only safe place from Lannister's." Rickon said. "A wise man once said whoever holds the Neck holds the key to the North. House Reed holds the Neck and they are loyal to House Stark. Lannister men will never reach her or you here."

"A wise man indeed." Myrcella nodded. "You've been watching us carefully."

"You don't look much like siblings." He said. "You have Lannister looks."

Myrcella gave a short laugh, the sound reaching Robb's ears making him look towards them, and nodded. "And Sansa doesn't have Tully looks?"

Rickon laughed. "Was your mother a Lannister?"

"Perhaps." Myrcella lowered her voice, Rickon saw Robb watching them carefully as Jon and Theon sparred. "Shireen, Tommen, and myself share a father. Her mother is not the same as Tommen's and mine."

"I suppose that means little to you." Rickon said, wondering how much of Robb's hearing was being put into this conversation Myrcella surely meant to be private.

"She is my blood and my sister, half or not." Myrcella spoke with such conviction that Rickon was reminded of his mother and aunt. "So you can imagine how desperately I wish to find my brother."

Rickon nodded. "I'm sure we'll find a way to get him back to you."

Myrcella smiled and simply said, "I'm sure arrangements can be made."

She walked away and Rickon made eye contact with Robb, the look on his cousins face said arrangements had been made. They just needed to be set in place before doing anything else.


	7. Dragons, Krackens, and Alligators

It was dawn when Shireen heard the roar. She had already been up, sitting in the godswood as snow lightly fell about her. She wasn't raised in the faith of the Old gods, she could barely recite anything from the Seven Pointed Star, but something about the godswood made her calm. Myrcella had smiled and agreed when she shared her feelings to her sister.

The roar made her freeze, believing for half a moment that the Lannister pride made their way past the Neck before she realized it came from the sky and no lions roar was that powerful.

"Shireen!"

She turned to see Myrcella, golden curls loose for the first time since they'd been children, emerald eyes wide.

"What is it?" Shireen asked.

"Targaryens." Myrcella said, eyes holding excitment and fear.

* * *

Shireen had only heard of dragons, how they never stopped growing and how the shifters could be mad from the dragon blood that ran through their veins. But seeing one up close was another thing entirely. The first one was clearly larger and had black scales mixed with red, glowing red eyes, and steam rising from the nostrils. The second had scales of green and gold with gleaming yellow eyes. Then they shifted and in their place stood two Targaryens.

Lord Stark walked towards them with Lyanna by his side. Shireen watched almost hidden from behind her sister, hand resting on her dagger though the Starks had assured her that she wouldn't need it - Rickon even joking that it would do no good against dragon shifters - yet her hand stayed on it.

"Daenerys and her son Rhaego." Bran said to the Baratheon sisters. "Last of the Dragon shifters."

"They were never very plentiful." Myrcella gave a small smirk.

"Unlike other shifters," Jon added as he moved to stand next to them, "Targaryens are the only ones to be dragons. Even when there were plenty of Taragryens alive, few could shift."

Shireen took a step back and bumped into Rickon's chest.

"Relax." He told her, hands gently resting on her shoulders and mouth close enough to her ear that she could feel his breath warm against the biting cold. "They won't hurt you."

"How can you be sure?" She asked, looking back at him, his gray eyes holding the subtle mischief she'd grown to expect and enjoy.

"Daenerys swore not to harm a man, or woman for that matter, who bent the knee to her." Rickon said, as though it made sense to her. Myrcella was the one interested in political tactics, sitting in on meetings with Robb and Edward and Catelyn and Lyanna and Jon.

"Why-"

"Tywin Lannister is the one who ordered the death of her few remaining family members." Robb said, standing closer to Myrcella than Shireen would have liked. "From what Sansa said, Cersei was making plans to send assassins after Daenerys and Rhaego. That's when Daenerys decided to take action against the Lannisters."

"Never underestimate a woman's anger when you go after her children." Myrcella said.

Shireen noticed that she hadn't moved from where she stood, back still resting against Rickon's chest and his hands now gently running up and down her arms. His breath tickled against her ear, but she couldn't find it within herself to move or ask him to release his grip on her. She relaxed and felt his smirk against her cheek as he let go and took a step back, just in time for Edward and Lyanna to come and introduce the last Targaryens to the group.

* * *

Shireen didn't get too close to Daenerys, the Targaryens violet eyes made her uncomfortable. Luckily the Reeds from Greywater Watch had needed to speak of defending the Neck with Eddard. Meera was someone Shireen felt comfortable around, even if the woman was an alligator shifter.

"The dragon shifters seem to be cautious around Greyjoy." Meera mentioned as an offhand comment one day.

Shireen looked up from the book Bran had leant her to see Rhaego and Daenerys casting Theon wary looks. Rhaego especially had a hard time trusting anyone besides his mother, though the way his eyes followed Jon suggested some type of hero worship that painfully reminded her of Tommen.

"Mayhap they are right to." Shireen said, eyes darting to Rickon's shifted form as he entered the castle from a run with Arya and Robb. "Why  _is_ Theon here? I thought the Iron Islands despised anyone from the mainland."

"They do." Meera nodded, watchful eyes staring at Shireen as she stared at Rickon during his shift back to human. "However since his sister Asha took the Seastone Chair and he'd never truly been one of them. It's a way to get the Iron Born to rally behind Daenerys as she destroys the Lannister's." After a moment Meera carefully added, "And to continue the Greyjoy line, even if his children never take the throne from their aunt."

"What do you mean?" Shireen turned to look at Meera who was fiddling with the drawstring on her bow.

Meera looked at her, pity in her eyes. "You cannot tell me you don't realize all the alliances being made as the weeks go on."

Shireen gave her a confused look.

"Arrangements have to be made in order to strengthen the North and Daenerys' forces." Meera explained bluntly. "Sansa will marry Theon, adding the Ironborn navy to the North's, and Myrcella will marry Robb so she can give him an heir as he rides South to fight the Lannister men."

"Myrcella will what?"


	8. Arrangements Made

Rickon kept close to Shireen when he could. She was always near her sister or the Reed siblings, which often meant Robb and Bran were nearby as well.

But he hadn't expected all the members of houses to be forced into a meeting in the godswood. He knew from his mother and uncles solemn faces that this was not a light meeting.

"I'll waste no time." Lyanna said, grey eyes filled with a seriousness and solemness that only showed when he asked of their father. "Revenge on the Lannisters is our current goal. For that we've made several arrangements."

Shireen took a step closer to Rickon at the words. He wanted so badly to embrace her like he did when Daenerys and Rhaego arrived, to gently rub his hands up and down her arms as she leaned against his chest.

"As Myrcella and Shireen are the last female Baratheons it's time to join our houses." Catelyn said. Shireen stiffened and Catelyn quickly added, "Myrcella and Robb have consented to their betrothal. Unfortunately the Manderly's only have so many ships at their disposal and with Theon's sister sitting the Seastone Chair, and alliance with the Ironborn is wise. Theon and Sansa have consented to this match as well."

Rickon watched his cousins, Robb and Sansa showing no obvious sign of emotion besides a clenched jaw. Bran stared at his hands as he leaned against the wall. Even Jon and Arya stood to the side with no visible emotion. He realized that he was the only Stark child who was uninformed on these current arrangements.

"Rhaego is still young." Daenerys cut through Rickon's thoughts. "He will be kept as a ward here. Jon will come with us to help break the Lannister's hold of the Stormlands. Robb will ride to the Riverlands and help place Lord Edmure back in power."

"Hopefully with those lands reclaimed we will be able beat the Lannister's in the Westerlands." Ned finished. "Then we will try and save Tommen from those who have him in the Reach. If he is willing to continue the Baratheon line he will rule the Stormlands from Storm's End."

* * *

Shireen had found him using a blunted tourney sword to hack at trees just outside the godswood.

"You seem frustrated."

"An understatement." He sighed, letting the sword fall to the ground. He took a deep breath and said, "There has been so much planning and I fear there will be little time to fight."

"You're always one for a good fight." Shireen gave a small smile as she spoke.

"Mother says I get it from my father." Rickon sighed.

"Who is your father?" Shireen asked.

"Not Jon's." He gave a bitter laugh as he leaned against a tree, slowly sliding to the ground as he spoke. "Arya and I share a father different from Jon's. Mother always changes the story. Jon's father was someone from a distant land, not of Westeros. He spent the night in her bed and left the next day. Our father...he came from the South. He could have been a smith or a hunter or a sellsword or a fisherman or a knight. In her story he was always one of those."

"What do you think he was?" Shireen asked, sitting beside him as the sounds of Winterfell filled the air.

"A man on the run." Rickon said. He'd imagined his father so many times, blond hair or brown or black or even graying. Grey eyes like his own or blue like Robb's or brown like Bran's or green like Myrcella's. The image always shifted, it never stayed the same no matter how many times Arya insisted Ned was the only father figure they needed.

"How do he meet your mother?"

"Stories vary." Rickon said, playing with his fingers before turning to stare at the gray sky as snow began to fall lightly. "But they spent several months together before Arya was made. He had to leave for a duty to be fulfilled. When he came back it was only a few short nights together before they made me. He never came to Winterfell. Uncle Ned even tried to find him in Winter Town, but he never could. He came into the castle the night I was born while everyone left my mother to rest and named me. Then he left and mother hasn't seen him since."

"Is it possible he passed on some of his scent to you and Arya?" Shireen asked, brows furrowed as she drew on the light layer of snow at their feet.

"How do you mean?"

"You said Arya smells of freshly forged steel." Shireen said slowly. "You cannot tell your scent. Is it possible that hers or even your own mimics his?"

Rickon gave a huff as he thought it over. It was possible. He'd never asked how he smelled. He knew he carried the Stark scent of firewood, but he never knew what other scent he carried. Mayhaps it was his father's own or the scent of his family.

"I should ask someone." Rickon said. "Jon has the best nose besides me. What do I smell like to you?"

Shireen leaned in close and when she turned her head towards him her blue eyes shone, lips just inches away from Rickon's own. He wanted so desperately to lean forward and kiss her senseless.

"Like something I've never smelled before."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not me trying to rewrite the books with the parentage, just me taking creative lisence and making this story more compelling.


	9. Storm Approaching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, but life got in the way. Plus all my shows came back. Fair warning I'm doing Novel November this year so updates may not come until after November ends

It only took one month to plan Myrcella and Robb’s wedding as well as Sansa and Theon's. To Shireen it felt like years. It was the first time Shireen could remember fighting with her sister.

"If this is a way to grab power-"

"It's not." Myrcella snapped, emerald eyes shining like wildfire. "It's merely us finding a compromise. Robb needs an heir in case he goes South and doesn't come back. It's not a difficult concept to wrap your mind around."

"Is it?" Shireen had never been truly angry at her sister until now. "Because as close as we've been all our lives I feel like we've been drifting apart since you arrived here."

"Since  _I've_ arrived?" Myrcella glared. "I wasn't the one who sent two Starks to get me with words that you  _know_ father used often. Those words were for us and Tommen alone. Not some Northerners who need to take me to find you!"

"I didn't want you to think I'd been taken by the pride and then rush to Casterly Rock to demand them to free me!" Shireen hadn't yelled since Tommen had been taken years ago. "I know how much Tommen being taken hurt you, but if I was taken then there's no way you could properly function. I needed you to keep your head before the Lannisters served it on a plater!"

There was a moment of quiet before Myrcella sighed and said, "I should have let you know about the arrangements. But I didn't want you to worry or think you need take part in them. This gets us closer to sending an army South to take down the pride."

"But you'll stay North." Shireen sighed, staring at her hand. "What happens once we find Tommen?"

"He'll go back to Storm's End and rule as King Baratheon." Myrcella said quietly. "You can do as you wish, stay North or go South. So long as you keep in contact with us both."

Even now, as Shireen stood in the godswood waiting for Sansa and Myrcella to walk down to marry Theon and Robb respectively, she could still feel the chills that had appeared when she heard that.  _You can do as you wish, stay North or go South._ She hadn't been free to make her own choices until she and Myrcella ran from the nest of vipers in Dorne. Now she was being given the choice to choose what to do with her life as soon as the fighting was over. That was if the fighting did end.

The ceremony was short and she couldn't focus on the details. But the feast after had a liveliness to it that made Shireen forget her worries, even if it was only for a short time.

"Care for a dance?" Rickon asked, smirking in a way that made her heart melt.

"I'm a lousy dancer." Shireen smiled. "Besides I'm sure no one can keep up with you."

"Nonsense." Rickon laughed, taking her hand and pulling her to the dance center. Thankfully they weren't too close to the exact center were all eyes would be on them. "If anyone can keep up with me it's you. I think you've more than proved it on our journey here."

Shireen laughed and allowed Rickon to show her the moves. She followed and kept tripping up, though Rickon would laugh and say it was alright every time she stepped on his foot.

"I told you I'm terrible." Shireen said, pulling away as Rickon laughed.

"You're actually not half bad." Rickon smiled. "Certainly better than Arya ever has been. But I see her trying with Gendry over there."

Shireen turned and laughed at Arya and Gendry. The pair were both struggling, though she supposed Gendry was doing so because he'd never danced before and Arya because she was frustrated. But in the moment it was sweet and everything was calm, well as calm as a wedding feast can be.

"What will you do after we finish fighting?" Rickon asked her, hand dangerously close to hers.

"I might go South to spend time with Tommen." Shireen said. "I haven't seen him in years and...I'm surprised Myrcella agreed to stay North."

"Why are you surprised?"

"She doesn't seem the type to stay and settle." Shireen regretted the words the second she said them.

"So she's settling with my cousin?" Rickon's voice held pure poison as he spoke.

"That's not what I meant." Shireen tried to recover. "I just meant-"

"That you think she's above him." Rickon cut her off. "I never thought _you_ would be one to care about someone's place in life, yet here you are."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what that means."

Shireen glared at Rickon and turned to leave the hall right as some drunken man called for the bedding for both couples. Never had she felt so stupid.

She knew many shied away from her because of her scars, but the Starks had been an exception. Never had she felt the need to cover them up when she was with the Starks. Rickon especially hated her seeing her scars as something to be ashamed of.  _They show that you survived and you should own it,_ he had told her. But now it seemed as though it was a lie. And why wouldn't it be?

Shireen was vaguely aware of someone calling her name, but she was to upset to notice it. She ran out towards the godswood and hid behind the Heart Tree, allowing herself a moment to take calming breaths and try to relax. The godswood always calmed her, drawing her in and relaxing her with every passing breeze and shadow.

 _You don't need the Starks forever._ Shireen told herself.  _They'll help you and Myrcella get Tommen back from the non-shifters in the Reach. Once Tommen is free and back in Storm's End you can join him. Rickon Stark can't hurt you down South._

Shireen turned sharply when she heard the snap of a twig. A man stood several feet away and stared at her in shock.

"What is a Baratheon doing so far North?" He asked.

"That's no business of yours." Shireen tried to focus on his features in the dim light. Light hair and a strong jawline.

"Are you one of Lyanna's?" He asked, voice tight.

"No." Shireen said. "I need to get back inside."

The man was about to say something when there was a growl from behind herself. Shireen hurried to shift, focusing like Lyanna had taught her but she couldn't maintain focus when the man in front of her shifted. She'd been so caught off guard that the stress of her shift made her stop, go back to human form, and faint.

* * *

Shireen wasn't certain how long she was out, but when she came too she was in another strange cave. The man from the godswood entered, she recognized his jawline, and she got a better look at his features. Hair like beaten gold and eyes the same emerald of her sister and brother's. His shift last night made sense. A lion, a Lannister.

Oh, she was in trouble.


	10. Searching

Rickon cursed as he shifted back to human form in the godswood. Almost a full week, that's how long they'd been searching for Shireen. He'd meant to apologize for his words at the wedding feast when he caught an unfamiliar scent beside Shireen. Rickon had shifted only to find Shireen being carried away by another animal. He'd been to angry and worried to really focus on what it had been, but Rickon was sure it was a hound of some sort.

The scent of cinnamon and firewood alerted Rickon to his mother's presence in the godswood only seconds before she said, "I had figured you'd seek refuge here."

"It's where you come as well, isn't it?" Rickon gave a bitter laugh. "It's all one big mess."

"Not the biggest mess." Lyanna sat beside her youngest. "Do you remember when Sansa sent her first letter about the Lannisters?"

Rickon nodded slowly. "I started hacking at trees with my sword."

"That was after." Lyanna smiled softly. "Although you did that as well. Get that from your father, gods. No, before that I found you staring at Brandon's statue down in the crypts. I remember it so vividly. Do you?"

"How could I forget?"

_Lyanna gently placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as Rickon stared at his uncles face. The uncle who ran to sea only to be killed by Lannister men._

_"What if they do the same to her?" Rickon asked, voice soft and close to breaking. "What if the next time I come down here she's down here as well?"_

_Lyanna sighed, "She won't be. Not for a very long time. Your cousin is strong. She'll survive."_

_"How can you be certain?" Rickon turned to stare at his mother, pity and sympathy flooding those gray eyes._

_"Because you, Jon, and Arya are going to save her."_

"You're worried the same will happen to Shireen." Lyanna said.

"We might not find her or...or her...body." Rickon fought back tears.

"We'll find her." Lyanna promised.

They sat in silence and Rickon thought of Myrcella, sitting in her room with her inability to shift into her doe form announcing her pregnancy. He wondered if she missed Shireen how he had missed Sansa. Wondered if she was thinking of running to find her sister. Wondered so many things about the woman who could kill with a single look if such a thing were possible.

"Why don't you ever talk about my father?" Rickon asked quietly.

"Because...because it's painful for me to revisit." Lyanna sighed, staring at the sky. "Your father...he is a difficult man to understand. But beyond worth all the trouble he caused me."

"How did you really meet him?"

Lyanna stayed quiet, eyes on the red leaves of the heart tree as the wind blew through, for what felt like far too long. Rickon waited, thinking of his missing scent and the one he couldn't quite place that was beside Shireen's.

"He was running from family." Lyanna finally answered. "Running from expectations and duties. He gave so much of himself to you. You even smell like him."

"What do you mean?"

"Besides the family scent you have his personal one." Lyanna's laugh was soft and Rickon knew that fond and bittersweet smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. "You both smell like vanilla."

* * *

Two more days had passed and Rickon was going insane. Myrcella had even threatened to shoot him with her bow and arrows if they didn't get Shireen back soon. The godswood hadn't changed. Shireen's scent of lemon sat heavy in the air beside something else that was so familiar, yet so off.

Rickon thought of Shireen, her scent filling his nose as he thought of her reaction.

_I suppose this is your idea of helping; moping and not focusing on the second scent._

The second scent.

Blueberries. The smell of blueberries filled Rickon's nose and he knew exactly how to track Shireen and whomever took her.

He rushed to the courtyard where Jon, Robb, and Lyanna were tensely talking.

"I can track Shireen." He said, wasting no time.

"How?" Robb asked, likely Myrcella's concern for her sister feeding the rest of the Starks and fueling their drive to find her.

"Blueberries." Rickon said. "That's the second scent. It's not natural in the North. I can track it to wherever they are. But I might loose it soon. We need to go now."

"Ned will demand to send a party." Lyanna cursed under her breath. "I'll leave a note and we'll go. Boys, don't forget your swords. Just in case."

Less than five minutes later the four were shifted into their wolf form and running after the smell. Rickon ran at the head, sniffing and searching as they ran into the Wolfswood. They passed over root after root and it drew him towards a tree with a small entrance to what was likely and underground cave in the roots.

Rickon neared it, the smell of pine and lemon seeping through alongside blueberries. He'd found her. He'd actually found Shireen. He was about to turn to call for the others when Lyanna, in her human form, stepping in front of him and gave him a death glare.

"Stay out here with Jon and Robb." She whispered. "I can handle him by myself."

Rickon waited until his mother had gone into the cave to keep a small distance in order to sneak a peek. He shifted and squeezed into a small corner covered in shadows to hide with Jon and Robb, watching carefully as Lyanna entered without a moment of fear or hesitation.

"What are doing with a Baratheon, Jaime?" Her voice rang throughout the cave as the man turned to face Lyanna.

Jon and Rickon rushed to hold back Robb when he saw the man's face. Hair like beaten gold and emerald eyes, a Lannister. Though he'd never voice it out loud, the man looked like Myrcella. But it didn't change the fact that his family had been hunting Shireen, Myrcella, and Tommen while beating Sansa on the side.

"She collapsed Lyanna." The man, Jaime, sighed. "I know your opinion of me hasn't been very high as of late, but I don't go around kidnapping innocent girls."

"Why not leave her to Winterfell?" Lyanna asked, voice losing the sharp edge. Jon and Rickon shared a look and they both knew what that meant.

"It would've taken too long for you to find her." Jaime said. "She hit her head on the root of the heart tree and you likely would have found her late morning or early midday. Too late."

"So it was to keep her safe." Lyanna sighed and stared at the ground, no edge in her voice. "Jaime-"

"She woke up once when I fixed her bandages, but beyond that all she's done is reat." Jaime cut her off. "Honestly Lya, do I look like the man to harm her? I'm not my father."

Lyanna remained quiet for a while before lifting her head. She wore that small, fond and bittersweet smile of hers as she rushed to hug Jaime.

He held her tightly in his arms and rested his chin on her head. Lyanna buried her face in the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath. Jaime dropped a light kiss on her forehead before pulling back.

"You'll have to take her now." Jaime said. "I'll help carry her back."

"That's not necessary." Lyanna gave a hardly there laugh and then called out for the boys hidden. "Boys you can come out of that corner now."

Rickon and Jon finally let go of Robb, he'd behave in front of Lyanna, as they stood and walked down to the lower level of the cave where Lyanna and Jaime now stood a respectable distance away.

"This is Jaime Lannister." Lyanna said, voice holding an emotion Rickon couldn't quite decipher. "He should be able to help us storm Casterly Rock."


	11. Talking Not Needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly smutty up ahead

Shireen woke screaming. Her head was fuzzy and it took her a moment to put two and two together to see she was still in the cave from before. the one the Lannister had taken her to. She opened her mouth to scream again when Rickon came bursting through and towards her.

Her breath was taken away when she saw him. Wild curls a matted mess atop his head. Gray eyes bloodshot. Dark bags under his eyes and faintly hallowed cheeks, almost as if he hadn't spelt or eaten in however long she'd been gone. But beneath all of that was still the same Rickon who saved her from the hound in the Riverlands. The same Rickon who fought with her and drove her to the godswood that night.

"He wasn't lying." Rickon's voice was so soft. It was almost as though if he spoke too loud she'd dissappear. "You're safe."

Shireen merely stared at Rickon, unsure of how to feel as Jon entered the small room and gave her a small and sad smile.

"You've missed a lot since you left." Jon's voice was soft, but in a kinder way. He wanted to keep her comfortable, not just there. "Myrcella missed you horribly."

"I figured she would." Shireen said, voice hoarse and scratchy from not being used in however long she'd been asleep. "How did you find me?"

"Rickon followed the scent of Jaime." Jon gave his brother a small smile. "Blueberries right?"

Rickon nodded, eyes taking in Shireen. She sat up, feeling a little lightheaded but nonetheless determined to sit up and find out all she could from the Stark brothers.

"Who was he?" She asked.

"The eldest son of Tywin Lannister." Jon said. "He's still alive, our mother seems to know him. She thinks he might be able to help us storm Casterly Rock."

Shireen nodded, lips formed into a tight line. How could Lyanna trust him? He was a Lannister, the same family that beat her niece and held Shireen and Myrcella’s brother hostage.

"Robb thinks there's something they're not telling us." Jon says, clearly trying to male up for Rickon's continued silence. "Why don't I get Lyanna for you. I'm sure she'll explain everything better."

Jon left and Shireen met Rickon's eyes once more. He looked exhausted and Shireen wanted to let him lay on the fur pelt she was sitting on. He sighed and then cleared his throat.

Shireen became frustrated and snapped, "Are you even going to apologize for what happened?"

Rickon collapsed next to her and said, "I was going to, but..."

" _But_?" Shireen wasn't going to let him get out of this conversation.

"Then I saw you and I couldn't think." Rickon looked at the ground. "I don't know how to think right now."

Shireen stood and walked, albeit slightly wobbly, towards the curtain that separated the small room from the rest of the cave. peering through she saw Robb and Jaime talking, both looking throughly pissed. Jon and Lyanna were nowhere to be seen, but she had the feeling they hadn't gone far.

She moved and sat in front of Rickon. "Start talking."

"It's my fault you were there when he showed." Rickon sighed. It was odd seeing him so quiet and small. Usually he was running around, wolf or human form, and joking and being loud alongside his sister. "If I hadn't assumed-"

"You weren't the first and I doubt you'll be the last." Shireen rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"I lost my temper." Rickon said, eyes still on the ground. "I was angry and I didn't want you to dissappear forever down South again. I did a piss poor job of stopping that didn't I?"

Shireen felt near all the anger deflate out of her. She still had enough to sharply grab Rickon by the chin and force him to look her in the eyes. Blue met gray for what felt like the millionth time and whatever it was she meant to say flew out the proverbial window, as did her caution.

The kiss was messy and heated and unbearably hot. Shireen moved in perfect sync with Rickon, hands on her waist pulling her to straddle him and sit in his lap. Her hands tangled in his hair and tugged at the knots and tangles hard enough to make him whimper.

Rickon moved his lips to her neck as she rolled them over to lay on the fur pelt, his weight heavy and warm atop her. He was careful on the bandage on her head, but beyond that he hardly gave a thought to her stained and too large clothes that Jaime had given her. She didn't care that he'd ripped the shirt or that he was growling as his hands reached for the pants.

A clatter in the other part of the cave made them freeze for a moment. Rickon cocked his head to the side for a moment and then smirked and turned back to Shireen.

"Looks like we've been given some privacy."

Shireen shut him up with a kiss and reached her hand into his pants, smirking against his lips as he moaned at the friction.

"Might as well put it to use" She said, moving her lips to his neck.

Hardly an hour passed before they finished, ecstasy and pleasure humming through their veins as they lay beside each other. Clothes lay torn or discarded in the small room and Shireen moved her nose into the junction between Rickon's neck and shoulder, where she could smell him best.

The Stark firewood, vanilla, and a berry of some sort.


	12. Back to Winterfell

Rickon was worried about Jaime being near Lyanna. True his mother was tough and could easily take him in her wolf form, there was something about the pair that made Rickon on edge. Robb shared his sentiment while Jon and Shireen told them it was certainly nothing to worry about. Their fears were confirmed when they got back to Winterfell and Jaime and Ned came face to face.

"Lannister." Ned said, voice tight and clipped.

"Stark." Jaime responded, voice just as tense. "I think you'll find I saved the Baratheon girl's life."

Ned nodded but didn't say anything else. Robb and Rickon sent matching looks that screamed 'I told you something was off' towards Jon and Shireen who rolled their eyes in response. Luckily at that moment Myrcella came barreling from the inside of the castle and nearly knocked her sister to the ground from the force of her hug.

"You're safe." Myrcella said. "Thank the gods. I was so worried."

"It's alright." Shireen said, hugging her sister just as tightly.

In that moment Rickon almost forgot they were sisters. Snow fell slowly around them and landed in their golden and brown curls. Myrcella's skin was tanner than Shireen's by just the slightest, and when the elder opened her eyes the emerald color was so different from Shireen's sapphire shade.

"You're safe and that's all that matters." Myrcella said as she slowly let go and pulled back. She stood with straighter posture and there was a more mature composure than she'd had when she first arrived all those months ago. Then Myrcella turned to Jaime and she took a step back.

"I see your brother wasn't the only one to look like your mother." Jaime bowed his head slightly. "Good to see you're still alive."

"No doubt your nephew wishes I wasn't." Myrcella said, face becoming unreadable as she spoke to Jaime.

"Joffrey was never taught how to grow up." Jaime didn't discredit her claim. "I see Stannis knew how to raise his children."

"How lucky you remember which brother was my father." Myrcella gave a tight smile that was filled with bitterness.

"Renly was too young and Robert was nowhere near the Stormlands when you and your siblings were made and born." Jaime’s voice was the same soft tone he used with Lyanna from time to time. "I'm surprised my own father couldn't figure that out."

"I give you my thanks for saving my sister." Myrcella sighed. "But now we must go inside."

Shireen didn't argue her sister and followed. Rickon carefully watched as Lyanna walked up to Jaime and whispered something in his ear before disappearing inside  the castle.

"There's something wrong." Rickon said. "I know it."

"As do I." Robb nodded.

"There's nothing wrong." Jon groaned. "You're both over thinking this."

"So it doesn't worry you that our mother seems a little too familiar with a Lannister?" Rickon asked. "His father had uncle Brandon killed. His nephew and sister had Sansa beaten. His family took Tommen and has been hunting Myrcella and Shireen. His sister wanted to send men to kill Daenerys and her son. How can we trust him?"

"We trust him because mother does." Jon snapped. "You may not know this, but our mother is an excellent judge of character and she can sense when someone has changed. I don't trust Lannisters, but if mother trusts Jaime then so do I. And if he proves us wrong I'll take him down myself."

Rickon growled low in his throat, angry at his brother’s idiocy, and retreated to the godswood.

* * *

That night Myrcella announced her pregnancy formally and Rickon saw something akin to sadness in Shireen's eyes beside the happiness for her sister.

Rickon made his way to Shireen and sat beside her. "Everything alright?"

"Yes." Shireen's smile was small and forced. "For now at least."

"You're thinking of Tommen aren't you?"

"He'd want to know about Myrcella." She sighed. "But he's gone. Off in the Reach with non-shifters who follow the prides orders. He should be here, with us and free from Lannisters."

"He will be. And soon. I promise."

"I don't need your promises, Rickon." Shireen laughed.

"Then what do you need?"

"I think you know the answer"


	13. Eavesdropping

Shireen woke up early the next morning, sunlight filtering through the chamber windows, with Rickon's chest at her back and arms wrapped around her middle. She turned slightly to look at him, hair even more mussed than normal and lips parted as small breaths crept through to warm the side of her face slightly. He looked peaceful and relaxed and vaguely angelic when he was this deep asleep.

Though she detested rising early, and hated the thought of leaving Rickon to wake alone after last night, Shireen carefully removed herself from his grip and quietly dressed in her dress from last night. She stole one last look at Rickon as he slept and felt a tug in her stomach, something similar to what Myrcella had described...

Shaking her head, Shireen left the room and traveled back to hers. Once inside she changed into a fresh and simple dress before putting on her old boots that she'd been wearing since Dorne and headed outside into the godswood for some peace and quiet.

It wasn't as though she had been upset with Myrcella's announcement last night, she had just felt sick for home - even more so than usual. Storm's End seemed so long ago, so far off and distant than it had just a few days prior. Days of chasing Myrcella and Tommen on the yard as they practiced their shifting, feasts when Robert demanded there be some - on the rare occasion he was actually in his kingdom - and nights when the waves of Shipbreaker Bay would beat against the cliff and the three would hide under the covers trying to stay strong like their father.

Then the Lannisters came along a ruined it all.

"Only my father with his schemes," a male voice said. Jaime.

For a brief moment Shireen had worried she'd spoken aloud before she realized that someone else was with Jaime and she only refered to the Lannisters as the pride. No it was Lyanna who had spoken and gotten a response from Jaime.

The pair stood in front of the heart tree, their reflections shinning on the reflective pool on front of the weirwood. Shireen knew they could turn and see her at any moment, so she quickly climbed the nearest tree and hid in the leaves as she rested on a branch looking at the pair below.

"My father and sister are the ones you should direct your anger at." Jaime said, voice tight with anger.

"You're not without your fair share of wrongdoings." Lyanna scoffed. "I seem to remember a few nights that come to mind at the moment."

"But those have nothing to do with this war." Jaime countered, taking a step closer. "Our issues did not cause all of Westeros to fracture and build their armies in preparation. What we've done has other consequences, and those can wait."

"Yes, because my children are completely fine never knowing the truth of their father." Lyanna glared and stepped closer to Jaime. "Because my youngest doesn't frequently ask to this day how I met him and which story is correct. Because my daughter doesn't realize how similar she is to her father with all her stubbornness. They are more than just Stark."

"Jon was Rhaegar’s fault." Jaime said quietly. "At the very least we can absolve that now."

"My only wrong choice of a father." Lyanna sighed, sitting on a rock. "He acts like him in moments, but for the most part he's a Stark through and through. But Arya and Rickon..."

"I know." Jaime sat beside her, holding her hands gently between his own. "I know."

"Was I wrong to bring you here?" Lyanna asked gently. "Your memories of Winterfell haven't always been good."

"I think back on those nights fondly," Jaime said, a slight smile in his voice. "I had hoped you still did as well."

"Only when I'm lonely and my bed too empty." Lyanna's laugh was half-hearted, the same Rickon oft used when he was trying to evade a subject.

"It doesn't have to be empty anymore." Jaime let one hand cup her cheek and gently turn her head so she was facing him. "It never had to be in the first place."

"We both know it did." Lyanna sighed, resting her forehead against his.

Shireen held her breath as the two sat in silence, only the sounds of Winterfell gradually coming to life in the early morning filling the air. Then a chill traveled through the wind and made Lyanna whisper, "Winter is here."

"And with it comes the wrath of House Stark." Jaime smiled sadly. "The lone wold dies..."

"But the pack survives." Lyanna finished as though they'd whispered these words to each other countless times, and perhaps they had.

"If I return with you, can I fill that empty spot in your bed?" Jaime asked. "Or has another man come to claim it?"

"Many have tried, but none could come close." Lyanna smiled sadly. "If we survive you may be forced to claim your right to the Rock."

"I may be confined to the Rock you mean." Jaime shook his head, for head pressing a hint Lyanna’s insistently. "I'll be kept there as the price to pay for the action of my family. I'll be as much a prisoner as Sansa was. Unlike her, no Stark will come in the dead of the night to rescue me from that fate."

"I would." Lyanna sighed. "If it were allowed I'd steal you away to the safety of the North and Winterfell in the dead of night. I'd take you beyond the wall if necessary. We'd live as wildlings and forget about Houses and wars and everything that's stopped us before."

"A child's fancy," Jaime said almost too quiet to hear.

"A woman's dream." Lyanna laughed.

"A man's hope." Jaime smiled.

"As though we are either." Lyanna opened her eyes and kissed Jaime softly. "As though we could have it."

"We've always wanted what we couldn't have." Jaime’s voice was bittersweet. "What a pair we make."

"Do me a favor and shut up." The next kiss was heated and filled with passion and Shireen tried to look for a way to sneak away as the pair continued.

"Stag approaching!" A man called from the battlements. "Looks injured."

"Tommen." Shireen whispered as Lyanna and Jaime ran to the gates.

She carefully climbed down the tree and ran towards the gates, bumping into Robb along the way.

"I suppose I wasn't the only one too curious to let that opportunity pass." Robb smirked as Lyanna and Ned spoke to the guard.

"Not now." Shireen rolled her eyes. "It might be Tommen."

"Or just an injured stag." Robb reminded her carefully. "We have plenty of those up North. But there's always hope."

"Let's hope it's Tommen." Shireen watched as the gates opened and the stag rode in.

It's fur was brown and the antlers were snapped off. The front right leg was slashed and bleeding heavily, the rear legs buckling beneath the weight of the stag. It fell with a thump and gave a ragged breathe before going eerily still.

"Shireen."

"It's not Tommen."


	14. Tommen

Rickon had been a little disappointed that he'd woken up without Shireen beside him until he heard about the stag that had died shortly after entering the gates of Winterfell and how Shireen had almost believed it was Tommen. How there was a Lannister brand on the rear, a sure threat from those bastards that even Jaime despised. She and Myrcella stayed close together after that, one hardly seen without the other and a somber air surrounding them day and night. The only time the sisters weren't together was at night when Myrcella would sleep in her and Robb's chamber.

"You're too worried." Arya told him days later. "They'll be fine."

"The only reason they're helping us is because they want their brother back." Rickon sighed, picking up a sword and hacking at the air. "Can you imagine what that must feel like? To have your sibling captured and have no power or ability to save them whilst you're also being hunted?"

"Saving Sansa wasn't half as difficult as that." Arya nodded. "But it was also a vastly different case. Sansa was sent to Casterly Rock and Tommen was taken to the Reach forcibly."

"I can't imagine how they must feel."

* * *

During the weeks leading up to Rickon leaving to go South and fight he and Shireen had little to no time to talk. After all they'd been through he was desperate to sort out what they were before leaving.

It wasn't until the day before he left that Myrcella approached him, her middle gently curved; his niece or nephew growing inside.

"There's been a change of plans with where you're heading," Myrcella said.

"Should I be worried?" Rickon asked.

"Hardly." Myrcella sat beside him and said, "Instead of going to the Westerlands with Daenerys and Jon you'll be going to the Riverlands with Robb. Once you've freed Edmure, you will stay there while Robb and Jon join forces in the Reach to bring back Tommen."

"What of the Stormlands?" Rickon asked.

"Gendry will go there woth Eddard whilst you and the others are in position." Myrcella explained easily. "The Vale will not get involved unless necessary as the war hasn't reached them. Dorne has no interest in the Lannisters, but they have interest in myself and my siblings. That's why we need Jon and Robb in the Reach as soon as possible."

"The Iron Island fleet will attack the Westerland cost while all of this is happening, correct?"

"And the Manderly fleet will attack the Stormland cost." Myrcella nodded.

"Why the sudden change?" Rickon asked, eyes warily watching her.

"Something happened with your mother and Jaime and she expressed a desire to keep you in the Riverlands on a defensive front in case something happens in the Westerlands." Myrcella shrugged. "Jaime was all to willing to support her. According to them it will be for the best."

"Thank you for telling me." Rickon nodded. "Arya will be with Gendry  I assume."

"Of course." Myrcella gave a teasing smile. "I think there's something between those two, but I refuse to be the first to point it out."

Rickon laughed and shook his head. "You'll look after Sansa and Rhaego and Shireen while we're gobe, won't you?"

"There's no need to ask me." Myrcella smiled softly. "I'll be doing everything I can to keep everyone here safe. Although with the Reeds guarding the Neck I doubt I'll have much to worry about."

"Still, thank you for looking after them."

"Always." Myrcella squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Now go take down the pride and bring me back my brother."

* * *

He didn't see Shireen before he left in the early morning.

* * *

Rickon hardly remembered the fighting in the Riverlands. He was in his wolf form and followed his gut instincts more often than his cousins orders, though to be fair Robb hardly stayed human the whole time they were fighting. Robb was constantly switching between human and wolf forms throughout. If Robb wasn't running alongside Rickon and taking out Lannister men occupying the Riverlands, he was fighting with his sword and barking out orders faster than Rickon could process them.

Even after the fighting was over and Rickon was firmly in Riverrun - keeping an eye on Edmure and making sure no Lannister men starting something according to Robb; being kept under heavy watch according to himself - it was hard to remember. He vaguely recalled sending a letter to Winterfell explaining their victory before his injuries became too much and his uncles men forced him to sit still so the master could take care of him. Milk of the poppy was flowing through his veins more than his actual blood was, at least that was how it felt, and it kept his mind fuzzy whilst he stayed in a bed healing. Evidently sword cuts caused more damage to the body when in wolf form than human.

Not even a month had passed before word reached them that the Stormlands had been won back and Arya was holding Storm's End with Gendry while Ned went to help Robb in the Reach. It was mostly quiet until he got a letter from Myrcella.

_Things have been quiet up here. Catelyn is relieved to know her family is once again controlling the Riverlands. Sansa is keeping Rhaego busy, although the boy seems to have some sort of fascination with he crypts. If it was easy to get a letter to the Westerlands without fear of it getting intercepted, I would ask Daenerys if he always had this fascination with the dead and how they're burried. Shireen worries constantly, either over Tommen and how he might be doing or over myself._

_Speaking of myself, I'm doing well. Although I'm beginning to suspect hat this child might be a wolf-shifter given how quickly the pregnancy is progressing. Catelyn said that if it is a wolf-shifter the pregnancy will only last four months. She explained about it having to do with shifter genetics and our shifted forms. I stopped focusing halfway through that speech._

_Due to how fast the fighting finished I'm assuming the pride is focusing more on protecting the Westerlands than any other area. Which means that you're likely the only one to get a letter a respond swiftly. Even the Stormlands have sent only a letter asking for help due to some small uprisings from pride loyalists. So I expect a letter back soon. And I'm sure Shireen wouldn't mind one back as well._

Almost another month passed before the uprisings in the Stormlands ceased all together. During that time the Westerlands were losing their advantage and the Reach was close to yielding to Stark forces.

Myrcella sent another letter at the end o hat month, though it was short and only contained a few sentences.

_Four and a half months was how long my pregnancy lasted. According to your aunt that is the average pregnancy for a wolf-shifter child. I had twins, a boy and a girl who look like your cousin but with my eyes. The boys name is Elric and the girl is Joanna. Hopefully they'll meet their father._

* * *

The Reach finally yielded after another two weeks of fighting. Ned was sending a small group of men to take Tommen to the Riverlands while he stayed with the Tyrell’s; figuring their terms of surrender and ensuring they don't give aide to the Lannisters. Robb was already taking most of the men to the Westerlands; the calvary bringing in the last surge of aide to those al ready fighting.

Rickon was sparring with a Tully solider when a guard atop the battlements cried out, "Stark banners!"

He dropped his sword and ran to he gates as he saw some of his uncles men ride through, the drawbridge lifting as they entered. Only one man he did not recognize and he had Lannister looks.

Men in the yard rumbled about the foolishnessof bringing a Lannister into Riverrun after winning it back. The Riverlands had been blessed with no one trying to reinstate Lannister rule after they'd won. No doubt these men didn't know about Tommen, for it  _had_ to be Tommen.

He warily walked up to Rickon, guards ready with hands on sword hilts in case he tried anything. Rickon may have only been the cousin to heir of the North and Winterfell, but he was still a Stark and they had been good to the Tullys. Every man was ready to take Tommen down if he tried anything brash or impulsive.

"Eddard said he had a nephew here." Tommen’svoice was softer than Rickon had expected, like a soft summer breeze passing through the godswood. "Are you him?"

"Rickon Stark." He nodded. "Son of Lyanna. I assume you're Tommen Baratheon?"

Tommen nodded his head vigorously, golden curls flying about as he did so. "Do you know Myrcella and Shireen? Are they okay? Are they really in Winterfell like Eddard said?"

"They're fine," Rickon said. He motioned to the men and they reluctantly let their hands fall away from their swords and go about their business. "I have letters from Myrcella if you'd like to read them. They'll be glad to know you're alive."

"Can we go there soon?" Tommen asked. "I really need to see them. It's been years."

"I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises."

* * *

Myrcella's next letter only had a few lines addressed to Rickon.

_Thank you so much for telling me right away. Please find a way to bring Tommen here. If you can. Unless you need to take him to Storm's End. But please, I need to see him. Shireen feels the same way._


	15. Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while and the chapter's so short, but school is back on and I'm in the spring show so we'll see how often I'm able to update. Also this chapter tales place roughly a year or so after the first chapter so age updates will be at end of chapter (reason it hasn't really been addressed in story us because it's been so hectic woth the war and preparing for it

Shireen was busy playing with Elric and Joanna, Rhaego was even playing with the twins as well, when Myrcella rushed in with a letter.

"It's from Rickon." Her voice was filled with excitement. "He has Tommen in the Riverlands."

Shireen jumped up, Joanna in her arms, and rushed to her sister.

_He's safe in Riverrun with me. I'm actually a little surprised by his personality, more sweet than I expected. I half expected him to be cynical due to his time in the Reach with the Tyrells. He'll send a letter soon, but I wanted to tell you as soon as he arrived._

A smile burst on her face and she held back tears. Tommen was okay, he was safe. He was with Rickon, her...she didn't want to put the name to what it actually was.

"He's safe."

* * *

Rickon hadn't responded to Myrcella's letter that begged him to bring Tommen up to Winterfell, and Tommen had only sent one letter from Riverrun saying he desperately wished to see them. There had been no further news of the war. Riverlands were back in Tully control, Stormlands waiting for Tommen to rule, and fighting still rampant in the Westerlands.

It had been nearly a month and Shireen was busy dressing her niece when she heard from an open window, "Stark banners and wolf fast approaching!"

"Rickon." Shireen's voice was quiet and she felt a surge if excitement and dread. What if he didn't want to-

"Shireen!" Sansa burst through the door and her red hair was falling from an already messy braid. "You have to come to the courtyard, now."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you." Sansa grabbed her hand, Joanna sitting on her waist as she was dragged through Winterfell towards the courtyard. "You have to see it."

"Sansa, you're not making sense." Shireen felt like vomiting when the cold winter air hit her.

"You're still fast considering-"

"Sansa." Shireen cut her off as they stopped in the courtyard. "What are we even doing out here?"

"Look." Sansa took Joanna from her arms and turned Shireen so she was watching Myrcella tightly hug Tommen by the gate.

Her breath was hard to catch as she ran towards her siblings and the three became engulfed in a tight hug...well as tight as they could be considering.

"I've missed you both so much." Tommen’s voice was quiet as his face was hidden in Myrcella's shoulder.

The sisters laughed through tears as they agreed. Shireen pulled away and stared at Tommen, his face in her hands as she examined him. His green eyes matched Myrcella's and his golden curls were a shade or two darker. He smiled and opened his mouth to speak before closing it and nodding behind her.

She turned and saw Rickon standing just off to the side, a new scar on his collarbone, and he gave a crooked smile before his eyes drifted to her middle and the smile vanished. His gray eyes were filled with shock and his face was white as he stared at her rounded stomach. As if their relationship wasn't complicated enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baratheon siblings  
> Myrcella (18, Stag shifter)  
> Shireen (16, Stag shifter)  
> Tommen (11, Stag shifter)  
> \----  
> Stark siblings pt. 1 (Lyanna's children)  
> Jon (21, Wolf shifter)  
> Arya (17, Wolf shifter)  
> Rickon (15, Wolf shifter)  
> \----  
> Stark siblings pt. 2 (Ned and Catelyn's children)  
> Robb (21, Wolf shifter)  
> Sansa (19, Trout shifter)  
> Bran (16, Non-shifter)  
> \----  
> Reed siblings  
> Meera (16, Aligator shifter)  
> Jojen (16, Non-shifter)  
> \----  
> Non related characters  
> Theon Greyjoy (22, Kracken shifter)  
> Daenerys Targaryen (20, Dragon shifter)  
> Rhaego Targaryen (7, Dragon shifter)  
> Joffrey Lannister (21, Lion shifter)  
> Gendry Waters (20, Stag shifter)


	16. Niece, Nephew, and Another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this makes up for how spey the lady chapter was

Rickon knew that Myrcella and Shireen would likely spend most of their days with Tommen now that they knew he was safe with them and away from Lannisters and Tyrells alike. So he spent his days with Joanna, Elric, and even Rhaego. Rhaego spent most days sparring with Tommen who, although was not much older than Rhaego, was a mediocre swordsman at best. Joanna and Elric they were fast growing, much faster than any shifters Rickon ever knew. He had no doubt that they would be able to shift before their first nameday.

The one child that Rickon never asked about was the one Shireen was carrying. From how swollen her stomach was, he assumed she was nearly four months along. Gods, was that how long he'd been gone? For his...whatever Shireen was, to become obviously pregnant? That was if the child was even his. Their last night together had been a week before he'd had to leave.

But Shireen was never anywhere near Rickon and it was nearly driving him mad. He would have spoken to his mother, but Lyanna and him had traded places. He came North with Tommen and she went South with a few of her men to aide in the fighting in the Westerlands. Even Sansa and Catelyn were tight lipped about it.

"She never divulged who the father is...or was. And I didn't think to press such matters." Sansa never had been blunt when it came to such matters. "If she ever wishes to reveal that information it will no doubt happen when Shireen is ready."

Rickon had almost given up on talking to Shireen when he found her in the godswood one day as the sun was beginning to set. She sat with her back against the heart tree, taking focused and deep breaths as she sat and the snow fell.

Rickon cleared his throat and watched as Shireen jumped slightly, eyes wide open and staring at him.

"We haven't had time to talk," Rickon said. "I figured we could..." He didn't mean to trail off but how could he have finished that sentence without sounding horrible and rude.

"There's nothing to talk about." Shireen stood with a hand on her stomach. It was rounded, but not enough for the child to be a wolf shifter. Chances are it would be a stag shifter or even a non-shifter.

"There's too much to talk about." Rickon sighed. "We can't exactly hide from...what happened between us before I left with everyone else."

"According to Lyanna I can always avoid the topic," Shireen said. "If she could do this by herself then so can I."

"But you're not my mother," Rickon said.

"And you're not my father." Shireen looked almost defeated as she spoke. "Neither of us are what the other expected I suppose."

"Are you upset about it?"

"A little I suppose." Shireen sighed, sitting down once more. "I never expected much from life. I was young when my house fell. Then Myrcella and I were in Dorne and Tommen was in the Reach and we had so little time to think we were sage before we had to run. We were running for so long, Rickon." He sat beside her and placed a hand on top of one of hers that rested in her lap. "Then I meet you and the world turns upside down. I come North with you and your siblings and your cousin only to be welcomed into Winterfell by all the Starks. Your mother helped me with my shifts and Robb and Jon found Myrcella. You went to war and somehow managed to bring Myrcella and I back our brother when you didn't need to. Everything changed so quickly in my life Rickon. And now I'm pregnant and...it's another fast change so soon."

Rickon was silent for a few moments, letting the breeze and snow move around them. The sounds of Winterfell filled the air and he could smell the cooks making stew in the kitchens. He smelled Sansa and Catelyn and Bran and Myrcella and Rhaego and Joanna and Elric and he smelled family. He smelled  _pack._ Even Tommen’s scent found its way into the pack beside his sisters scents.Somehow the Baratheons had become just as much pack as the rest of he Starks.

"You'll get through this," Rickon finally said after what felt like forever. "I'll help and so will your siblings and even Lyanna and Ned will help."

"It's a kind offer." Shireen's voice was so quiet, almost disappearing in the breeze. "But I cannot allow the Starks to focus on me more than they need to."

"Well," Rickon said, "technically Jon, Arya, and myself are Snows because our parents were never married. The only reason we carry he Stark name is because Lyanna refused to all us bastards. Your child can still be a Baratheon no matter what."

"That's hard to believe."

"How so?"

"Because the father is a Stark and they take care of their pack."


	17. The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually looked up all the Valyrian Words, it took forever but it was also so worth it

Rickon remained close to her after she revealed him to be the father. Soon the news traveled fast and all of Winterfell knew Shireen was carrying a Stark child. Myrcella had only smirked and said, "It's hard to resist them." Sansa was overjoyed at having new family and Catelyn simply smiled and offered more advice on carrying children and how to help with mother's stomach.

Shireen was nearing her sixth month of her pregnancy, convinced this child would be a stag shifter, when the raven arrived and the news was broken. Tywin had died and Cersei and Joffrey were taken captive. Casterly Rock had fallen and the Lannisters no longer had any semblance of power left. The war was won.

But that wasn't the end of the news. Jaime now was technically in charge of the Westerlands, but in order to retain control and make certain the Lannisters would never again try to to conquest Lyanna would stay and keep Jaime in check. Joffrey died for his crimes of torture to his own people and Sansa Stark. Cersei was poisoned in her  prison cell and any other Lannisters left alive, such as Tyrion and Genna, claimed no interest in Casterly Rock.

Not even a month later everyone besides Arya, Gendry, Jaime, and Lyanna were back in Winterfell. Sansa and Theon had a somewhat awkward yet sweet reunion. Ned and Catelyn embraced floor so long that the servants moved around them so as not to bother the happy couple. Even Robb and Myrcella had a heartfelt reunion, him kissing her fiercely before holding Elric in his arms and smiling as Myrcella held Joanna. Off to the side Rhaego watched Jon closely while Jon and Rickon spoke of what happened after the fighting ended.

Shireen walked towards Rhaego and put a hand on his shoulder gently. He turned to look at her, violet eyes wide with surprise.

"Are you alright?" Shireen asked.

"He's been with my mother," Rhaego said.

Shireen wanted to ask in  _which_ way Jon had been with Dany, but she knew that Rhaego wouldn't like to know the answer to that question. After all, if she and Rickon had been together then Jon and Dany had a higher chance of being together in the same way. She had seen the looks they shared before they went South to fight.

"How can you tell?" Shireen asked instead.

Rhaego sighed and turned away from Jon. Shireen noticed that Dany wasn't outside. In fact she couldn't recall if Dany had come North again or not.

"My mother goes on flights for long periods of time when she doesn't know how to tell me news," Rhaego said. "She did the same before we left to come to Westeros. No doubt she's flying and trying to think of how to tell me she found her  _raqnon_."

" _Raqnon_?"

"It's Valyrian." Rhaego sighed and kicked at a pebble on the ground. "It means love."

"I thought the Valyrian language was long dead." Shireen frowned.

"Most people think so." Rhaego shrugged and turned to look at her. "But my mother taught it to me."

"Dany does seem to be full of surprises." Shireen laughed at the thought of Dany sitting Rhaego down and patiently teaching him Valyrian.

"She's a wonderful mother," Rhaego said.

"But?"

"But I worry about her." Rhaego turned and began to walk towards the entrance to the Winterfell crypts. He stared at the entrance longer than he had to other times he'd come her in the past few months.

"Why do you always come to the crypts?" Shireen asked.

"I feel drawn the them." Rhaego took a step closer to the entrance, hand halfway raised as though to grab the torch beside them so he could carry it down. "I don't know why but I  _need_ to know what's down there."

"I'll go with you," Shireen said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It might distract you until your mother returns. And you might find the answer you're looking for."

Rhaego gave her a grateful smile and picked up the torch, holding it out in ront of them as they began their descent into the crypts.

Shireen shivered as the air cooled to below even the freezing winds and snow above ground. She kept a hand on the wall beside her to stay steady as she and Rhaego traveled further and further down. By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs Shireen wished she had another cloak to kept her warm. Rhaego grabbed her hand with his unoccupied one and tugged her forward.

They passed statue after statue of dead Starks, direwolves by their feet and swords on their laps as they stared at Shireen and Rhaego passing by. The faces blurred together, long and solemn and serious. Rhaego's breath became faster as they traveled farther along, the statues looking newer and less run down. Then they came to the end. Empty spaces for future Starks.

 _Ned will be down here one day,_ Shireen thought.  _So will Robb and Elric and Jon and Bran and Rickon..._

"Here." Rhaego dropped her hand, rushing towards the second to last statue.

"What is it?" Shireen asked, stepping closer.

"I can't...it doesn't...it's not the Common Tounge." Rhaego sighed before turning to the last statue.

"What about this one?" Shireen asked, following with a hand permanently resting on her swollen stomach.

"It...he looks like Lyanna."

Shireen thought back to Rickon talking about any uncles.

_"Uncle Benjen travels around the North." Rickon smirked as he spoke. "Mother used to joke about them joining the Night's Watch when we were little. There was another uncle too. Brandon. Bran's named for him, obviously. He...the Lannisters killed him. I think that was when my mother drew the line. I wasn't born yet when that happened, though."_

"Obviously she wasn't done it all of them." Shireen muttered under her breath. She raised her voice and said, "That must be Brandon. He was the eldest brother if I remember correctly."

"Eldest brother." Rhaego frowned and bit his lower lip. "Why does that..."

"Do you think you know the answer now?" Shireen asked. She didn't want a seven year-old to think she was scared, but the crypts did scare her.

"I don't...wait." Rhaego turned to the wall in the first empty crypt beside Brandon and focused on several cracks. He gasped and whispered, "I know what it is."

* * *

Shireen really hated to eavesdrop, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. Rhaego and Dany were near the godswood, close enough for her to hear as she sat with her back against the heart tree.

"You know Jon." Dany sighed and Shireen could picture her holding Rhaego by his shoulders as she spoke.

"I do, but do you?" Rhaego responded and Shireen frowned.

" _Trēsy,_ trust me." Dany sighed once more. "He may be a  _zokla_ but I know he's right."

"You think he's your  _raqiarzy_?" Rhaego asked.

"Yes."

"Even if he's my  _iāpanna_?"

There was a moments pause before Dany said, "How could he be your  _iāpanna_?"

"Lyanna."

"She's his mother-"

"She must've met Rhaegar to make her  _zoklītsos_ ," Rhaego said.

Shireen thought back to one of her first conversations with Rickon about his family.

_"Jon's father was someone from a distant land, not of Westeros. He spent the night in her bed and left the next day."_

And from Jaime and Lyanna's conversation all hose months ago she knew Rhaegarwas Jon's father. Although why it mattered to Dany and Rhaego, Shireen didn't fully know.

"How long have you known?" Dany asked.

"A few days now," Rhaego said. "You took a very long flight to try and find a way to tell me about wanting him to be your _valzȳrys."_

"That's not the whole of it." Daenerys sighed. " _Iksan pregnant lēda zȳhon riña_."

Shireen understood one word and it made her uneasy. Winter had already come, it was here. But something about this told Shireen worse things were headed than just winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valyrian words  
> Trēsy-son  
> Zokla-wolf  
> Raqiarzy-beloved  
> Iāpanna-cousin by mother's eldest brother  
> Zoklītsos-little wolf  
> Valzȳrys-husband  
> Iksan pregnant lēda zȳhon riña-I'm pregnant with his child


	18. Children

Rickon had gotten used to seeing Shireen pregnant, her swollen stomach making her slow moving and her smiles brighter than before - if such a thing were possible.

Then Daenerys made the announcement that she was pregnant with Jon's child and his uncle and aunt tensed in a way Rickon had never seen before. A raven was sent to Lyanna immediately and Benjen arrived not even a week later with fire in his eyes as he, Ned, and Catelyn spoke in hushed tones behind closed and locked doors.

"What do you suppose they're taking about" Tommen asked one day.

"Isn't it obvious?" Jon gave a bitter laugh. "Mine and Dany’s child."

"I knew  _that_." Tommen looked slightly red as he replied and Myrcella smiled at her brother's embarrassment. "I meant what about it are they speaking of. If my time with the Tyrells taught me anything; even the most obvious conversations have a double meaning."

"The Tyrells have their way of imparting life lessons while not meaning to." Sansa gave a soft smile. "I remember meeting Margaery my first month in the Westerlands. She was nothing if not beautiful and brilliant."

"Ambitious and clever are the words you're looking for." Tommen gave a sad smile and Rickon didn't want to think about what that smile meant.

"Wolf fast approaching!"

Rickon looked around and did a quick count. Benjen and Ned were talking to Catelyn. Robb was sitting with Elric in his lap as Joanna stood for the second time without help. Jon was beside him and Arya was still in the Stormlands until Tommen returned to rule. The only other wolf shifter was-

"Lyanna!"

Rickon turned and saw his mother rush to hug his uncle Benjen. The two were close as could be and looked near like twins, he'd almost been named after him until his father - whomever he was - decided to sneak in and name him instead.

Lyanna pulled away and smiled at her brother before it faded into a serious look. "Take me to Ned. I have a lot to explain it seems."

* * *

Rickon wanted to do as Arya would and hide in the walls to listen in to the conversation. But Shireen was starting to feel ill, a fever higher than anything Measter Luwin had seen before and an aching head so bad she could hardly sit upright without immense pain.

Though he had no part in her fever or aching head, Rickon still felt responsible and never strayed from her side throughout it all. Shireen never let Tommen see her in this state and it was rare that Myrcella was ever allowed to enter. Rickon and Sansa were the only allowed to truly see her at all times, the good and bad of her illness.

Lyanna was the last to visit Shireen, the younger woman asleep and frowning as Lyanna felt her forehead.

"You've found your mate," Lyanna said, voice soft and comforting.

"You're living proof that the mating for life myth does not exist." Rickon took Shireen's balmy hand in his own and squeezed gently.

"I don't mean a mate for life." Lyanna gave a soft chuckle. "I mean the mate you were destined for. Your father was my mate.  _Is_ my mate."

"Am I finally allowed to know who he is?" Rickon tore his gaze away from Shireen's face to look at his mother. "If not can I ask who Jon's father is?"

"I suppose you are old enough." Lyanna sighed and moved to sit beside her youngest. "I hope you realize that none of this is easy for me. But you've been waiting for so long and as your child is on its way, I have to admit you are a man now."

"Who is Jon's father?"

"His name is-"

Shireen bolted up and screamed, one arm clutching at her stomach and the other at her head. Lyanna moved closer and whispered to her before turning to Rickon and saying, "Hurry and get Measter Luwin. She needs him  _now_."

As it turned out Shireen was entering birthing bed, her fever now making sense to be birthing fever. Lyanna and Catelyn were inside with Measter Luwin, helping Shireen as Luwin did what he had to. Myrcella and Tommen sat outside as Rickon paced in front of the door, stopping every time he heard a scream that was not followed by the wailing of a babe.

"Rickon," Myrcella said, standing and walking to him, "pacing won't do you any good. As a woman who has been through birth before, there's nothing you can do. Just breathe and try to relax."

"I don't think I can." Rickon tugged at his hair and wanted to cry. "She had birthing fever before she even began to give birth. What if she-"

"I am  _not_ even considering that to be a possibility." Myrcella looked furious, emerald eyes shining like wildfire. "Shireen  _will_ survive and your child will be spoiled rotten in both the North and the Stormlands. You need to believe that too."

Rickon nodded and paced while trying to take deep breathes like Myrcella told him. But the longer the day went on he more exhausted and anxious he grew. Time passed on and even Lyanna and Catelyn had to leave to room to force the three to leave the hallway.

Two days had passed with little change and Rickon knew what would likely happen. He didn't want to say it aloud, it he did then it would come true and he wouldn't give that power over. Instead he spent more time in the godswood and training. Even Lyanna promising her children to reveal the truth about their fathers could only keep his mind away from Shireen for so long before it bounded back to her.

Finally early in the morning of the third day of Shireen's time in birthing bed, Lyanna sat her children down to tell them of their fathers.


End file.
